


Forgetting Animosity

by theriveroflight



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Friends, Episode Related, Gen, Pre-Relationship, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23936419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theriveroflight/pseuds/theriveroflight
Summary: When locked in a cage with someone else, you either become very well acquainted with each other...or come out with utter loathing between you.(A divergence from Animan, though it focuses on the events of Oblivio.)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24
Collections: April 2020 - AU





	Forgetting Animosity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reyemile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reyemile/gifts).



> Since I had some extra boredom, I decided to take on writing a quick oneshot when the server made a shout out saying they needed a spare writer for someone that had backed out of the AU April exchange on the ML Fanfiction Discord. When I got the DM saying that it was Reye, I was a little bit nervous, but I found myself latching onto this idea quickly.
> 
> Thanks to Khan, wellsaltedlady, and random0factor for beta reading this, and to Cass for reassuring me that the place where I chose to end was fine.
> 
> Also, haha funny pun in the title - oblivio? forgetting? Yes?

Alya sits down next to Marinette on the school bus. She would consider using this as an opportunity to set them up, but there are only so many times that she can make the sacrifice of having to sit next to Nino before she just  _ can’t take it anymore. _

Adrien is great, and she  _ knows  _ that Nino and Marinette are childhood besties - she just  _ cannot get along with Nino. _ And she's tried before.

When her father was akumatized and they were shut in a cage together.

_ Alya crossed her arms. "I don't know what your  _ problem  _ is." _

_ "What do you mean, 'my problem'? I don’t know what you’re talking about." _

_ "What are your intentions with my girl?" _

_ "Marinette doesn’t belong to you, Alya. She gets to make her own decisions." _

_ "She didn’t know that she was going with  _ you!"  _ Alya glared at him. _

_ "I think there was some kind of misunderstanding-" _

_ "I think you need to be quiet!" she snapped. "I get that you have the whole ‘childhood besties’ thing going on, but this isn’t what she signed up for." _

_ "This isn’t what  _ I  _ signed up for either." He turned his back. They sat in the cage in silence, waiting for the superheroes to get them out. _

A new animosity between them began brewing that day. She still can't believe that he didn’t really consider the consequences of his actions.

There were other interactions, of course, but that one sticks out - that, and the superhero thing.

_ Nino stood up for her against Nora. Twice. That's…she can't believe he's willing to stand up for her after they haven’t been on the best of terms. The power of mutual friends brought them together even when they would rather be apart, but this was on a whole other level. _

_ Of course, once was as a superhero, and the other one was just dumb, but it was still standing up. _

_ Maybe Nino Lahiffe wasn't as terrible as she thought. _

_ But then that thought got destroyed on Heroes Day. _

_ They were arguing about the illusion of Ladybug and Chat Noir. It was a surprise when they weren't akumatized again from it by the kaleidoscope of scarlet butterflies. _

_ And then Ladybug came swooping in through the window into the locker room, and apologized - but she didn't have time to wait for them to be separated. _

_ The revelation that she was Rena Rouge seemed to do…something to Nino. He looked over at her in a way that she didn't know how to interpret. _

_ They transformed, and then the three of them were off to fight the army. _

_ And they failed. She couldn't help but think that it might have gone better if they had a better relationship…but that was neither here nor there.  _

She won't let thoughts about him ruin her trip.

It's a field trip, an opportunity to learn outside of the classroom. 

So she sits next to Marinette, a break from the setups. She understands that it can be overwhelming sometimes for Marinette, and this is a time to kick back and relax. Nobody will get anything from this besides Max, who'll be studying the engineering end of things.

The bus ride doesn't take too long. The tower looks taller up close.

They file off the bus slowly, taking in the sight of Montparnasse Tower. It's just a fancy office building, but it's still very tall.

"Hey," Nino whispers, tapping her shoulder.

"What do you want?" She crosses her arms. Both of them keep walking.

"I just…wanted to make you a peace offering."

She suspects that he's wanted to offer her something like this for a long time.

"Okay, I'll bite." She glares at him. "No tricks, though."

"Follow me. My dad works at this place, I know some good hiding spots."

If he's willing to be brave and extend this offer to her, then she can be courageous enough to follow. He leads her away from the class and into a janitor's closet.

"Really?" she demands. "A janitor's closet? What a cliche." She smiles, though, to show that she doesn't want to be demeaning.

"First place I could think of." He takes out something from his pocket. It's hard to see in the dark of the closet. "My parents got me a gift card - up for some multiplayer games?"

"Sure." She sits on the ground and takes out her tablet, which was  _ going  _ to be used to take a few notes in case there were any post-trip questions...but this is much better.

Even if it  _ is  _ Nino.

But hey: she's  _ giving peace a chance. _

They download Super Penguino.

Eventually, they're focused less on the game and more on the talking.

"I need to get this off my chest. I was watching you and Marinette before the zoo day - and then Adrien thought that I had a crush on Marinette. I played along because I couldn't bear to tell him the truth. It was really  _ you  _ that time. It…backfired."

"Obviously," she answers dryly. But…all this time, and he actually  _ liked _ her. "When Adrien came up and asked, I didn't think that Adrien was asking on behalf of anyone. I thought he was interested in Marinette."

"I…see," he comments.

"So I think this whole affair was a mess. I want to try and put it behind us, okay?"

"Yeah." He smiles. "Can I kiss you?"

For once in her life, Alya is rendered speechless. She wants to test the waters, but this is a new thing for her.

And that's when the door swings open. They both balk as the class gathers in front of them…and she feels rage.

Why did they have to interrupt before she could answer?

"Alya? Nino?" Mme Bustier asks. "What are you two doing in the closet?"

"Um…"

"Look at what they were playing. Super Penguino." Chloé spits out the last two words with a clear disdain, and she's even  _ angrier  _ now. Wanting to punch Chloé is not new. Chloé should not be judging them on how they game. She acts so immaturely, the game is practically marketed towards her!

And all of a sudden…

"Oblivio, I am Hawk Moth. Video games should be for everyone! Playing something meant for children does not mean that you deserve to be ridiculed. Let me help you make them forget. Let me help you get over this embarrassment."

"Yes, Hawk Moth," she remembers hearing them say.

And that's the last thing…until later.

* * *

"Uh…" It's bright. Weren't they in the closet still? It shouldn't be this bright.

Whoa.

Ladybug and Chat Noir are  _ kissing.  _ She grabs her phone to snap a quick picture.

And then Ladybug throws the teapot in the air alongside a shout of "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The little ladybug swarm flies around. Ladybug realizes that she and Chat are standing next to each other, and jumps back.

"Uh, Ladybug? Chat Noir?"

"Guys, you haven't seen a supervillain named Oblivio, have you?"

Oh. She remembers now. That was  _ them. _

"You've defeated it already, dude," Nino answers.

"Actually, he was…us."

"Oh, okay," they say in unison. "Pound it? Pound it." They fistbump, looking more confused than usual.

"We do make a good couple, don't you think? Or else we wouldn't have defeated that akuma today," Chat says.

Ladybug raises her hand to her forehead in frustration. "Ugh, we're a team not a couple. Don't start that again!" The superheroine crosses her arms. "I've already told you that I'm in love with another boy." She gestures around, but it's useless. "Besides, this charming kitty act of yours was the reason we became distracted and got into all this trouble in the first place." Alya calls up the picture on her phone and turns it towards him. Chat laughs. "That's right, laugh all you want—" He leans in to get a closer look at it. "Hey, what are you doing?"

She giggles as Ladybug looks over and points to her phone.

Ladybug gasps. "Everyone  _ saw that?!"  _ She places her head in her hands. "This is a disaster. What on earth happened?!"

"Well one thing's for sure, we would make a good-looking couple. We're meant for each other, milady. You're the only one who doesn't see it." He winks.

Ladybug's earrings cut off any theoretical reply. She glares at him. "This conversation is not over."

She zooms off with her yo-yo.

Chat's ring beeps, too. He salutes them. "Guess I gotta go!"

While she and Nino are waiting for the elevator, she hears Nino tapping his foot. "Um," he starts, "About what we were talking about earlier."

She swallows. "I know this can't be easy, but I'm not ready for a relationship with you. I spent so long trying to hate you that suddenly flipping the switch like that wouldn't be good for either of us. I want to become friends with you first, before anything romantic happens."

A ding announces the arrival of the elevator. They step in.

"Sure. As long as you need, Alya. I'll be here."

**Author's Note:**

> [ Join the ML Fanfiction Server!](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks)
> 
> Follow me online:  
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